The Minister of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor yesterday launched a series of roadshows which will be encouraging small and medium sized businesses to learn more about the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI).
The goal of the SBCI is to ensure access to flexible and affordable funding for Irish SMEs. The events called “Fresh Thinking on Finance” are being run jointly by the SBCI and Network Ireland, the national organisation supporting the personal and professional development of women.
The roadshows, which are free of charge and open to all, will commence on September 20th in Kildare and will be targeting, in particular, female entrepreneurs and business women.
The SBCI was set up in 2014 as a national promotional institution, to enable businesses and the farming community to access vital funding for their businesses. With initial support from KfW, the German national promotional bank and the European Investment Bank, the SBCI has been modelled on a number of successful similar entities across Europe, with a mandate to address financial market failures. Since it began lending in March 2015, the SBCI has lent €347 million to 8,619 SMEs across all regions and a variety of business sectors
President of Network Ireland, Deirdre Waldron said, "The objective of the roadshows is to encourage Network Ireland members and all other attendees to challenge the current perceptions around funding for their businesses and help introduce a new way of thinking for financing their businesses."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
